DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles
Bell & Ross are perhaps synonymous with aeronautical watches. Their instrument line with the iconic square shape is reminiscent of the instruments used in an aircraft. Here, they introduce the BR-X1 White Hawk.
The line takes its inspiration from the French term, Faucon Blanc (white falcon), a name which evokes dreams and travels. Two models are offered to reflect the blend of watchmaking finishes with the colours of private jets. One is a regular skeleton chronograph, and another (not reviewed here) is a Tourbillon with skeleton chronograph. We review the skeleton chronograph with an automatic movement.
The Bell & Ross BR-X1 Black Hawk automatic.
Bell & Ross BR-X1 White Hawk
The BR-X1 White Hawk uses the basic BR-X1 series we reviewed earlier. See here for the BR-X1 Black Titanium. The styling of these watches are changed to suit the various “personalities” it takes. The BR-X1 RS 17 is race bred for the Renault F1 Team and carries team colours, the Br-X1 Black Titanium being the base blueprint for the current review model the BR-X1 White Hawk which is aesthetically keyed to the private jets.
The case, dial and hands
The case is a square shape, made with grade 5 titanium and is covered with a white ceramic belt. The titanium is micr0-blasted to create a textured finish, and the ceramic is matte finished to avoid reflections. The inspiration of the grey and white case comes from the colour of private jets.
The overall aesthetic is quite beautiful, with the muted white, grey and black punctuated by the bright red ring.
Bell & Ross leaves the four screws holding the case together exposed in their countersunk and chamfered openings. A nice aesthetic treatment.
Side view showing the crown, and the ceramic pushers which are stylised to look like they are part of the case. The Ampersand logo for Bell & Ross is a rather nice aesthetic.
The chronograph pushers are also in high tech ceramics with rubber inserts to optimize grip and strength. Another button grip insert, which looks like a dent in the ceramic is built into the case at 9 o’clock to enhance the grip when activating the chronograph.
The dial is tinted glass, allowing a peek-a-boo effect into the workings of the module chronograph.
The dial is a tinted sapphire glass, with the brand name and model numbers printed on it in white. Like the BR-X1 Black Titanium, the print looks like it is floating, a rather interesting sensation. A ring in red, styled to look like the fan of the jet engine, rotates to show the continuous second hand takes a prominent position at 9 o’clock. This gives the design a colour anchor against the white, grey and black background. We must say, it is rather attractive.
The sapphire crystal glass dial also allows a peek-a-boo effect to the chronograph module which is presented in black. The remnants of the dial not skeletonised is a chapter ring in white marking the 60 sectors and subdividing each into 5 sub-sections to provide the reading of the chronograph seconds […]
The post New release and hands-on review: Bell & Ross BR-X1 White Hawk appeared first on DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles.
Article from: DEPLOYANT – Luxury watch reviews & horological lifestyles, by Peter Chong
Visit here for more on Cool watches for men.
Find more on swiss watches for men.
from Best Watches For Men http://ift.tt/2BbXQFb